


Names and Titles

by Glitteringworlds



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-05
Updated: 2015-01-05
Packaged: 2018-03-05 12:22:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3120062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Glitteringworlds/pseuds/Glitteringworlds
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Varric and Cassandra have a brief conversation about nicknames</p>
            </blockquote>





	Names and Titles

"What about Briala then?"

Varric paused a moment. “That’s a hard one. Maybe… Shifty? No, that’s terrible. And it could probably apply to half the Orlesian Court. I can’t just churn them out for anyone, you know.”

"Oh? You’ve always seemed to come up with nicknames for all our companions without too much trouble. Though, admittedly, you don’t exactly reach far for some of them."

"That hurts, Seeker. I put a lot of thought into my nicknames!"

Cassandra stopped walking, turning to face Varric with her arms crossed. “Really?”

"Really! Just try me."

Cassandra looked at him for a moment. The full moon lit her from behind, and Varric could only clearly see the outside curves of her face, but he didn’t need more than a dim glow to recognize her usual thoughtful expression. After a moment, she smiled.

"What about Cole? You simply call him ‘kid,’ that isn’t particularly clever, is it? It’s not even accurate."

"That’s why it works so well. Cole’s a spirit in the shape of a human, right? Everyone goes around calling him ‘demon,’ and ‘it,’ so I call him "kid" because it’s exactly what I see. With someone like that, what you see is exactly what he most wants you to."

Eyeing him suspiciously, Cassandra turned forward again, continuing their walk. The rushing water of the Storm Coast filled the silence with a comfortable rhythm.

"I still think that is little more than a fancy way to say that you couldn’t come up with anything more original."

"Maybe, but it fits, doesn’t it?"

"I suppose it… has a certain charm to it," she admitted grudgingly. "But that’s simply because you’ve been using it for so long."

"Ah," Varric supplied proudly, "but that’s part of the trick. Use a nickname long enough, and everyone just gets used to it. People grow around the things you call them."

Cassandra hummed a soft, thoughtful note. “There is something a bit unsettling about that.”

"If you aren’t at least a bit unsettled by what can be done with the right words, then I’m not doing my job right."

"Or you are doing it very, very well."

"Maybe," Varric said, shrugging, "but I’m not like those Orlesians and their grand ‘Game.’ I don’t want to trick people into social disgrace, just entertain a crowd. And maybe occasionally scare a few people into doing the right thing." 

"You know Varric," Cassandra said, "you might want to be more careful about saying things like that. You might even make someone think you were a good person."

Varric chuckled. “Well now we wouldn’t want that, would we?”

"Certainly not."

They lulled into silence again, and Varric watched Cassandra walk next to him. They were technically on a patrol, so he couldn’t blame her for the seriousness with which she carried herself, but he still couldn’t help but shake his head at it. They hadn’t seen anything of note yet, and he doubted they would. This part of the coast had been well cleared out, and they were only there to explore a cave that had been opened up further down.

But even when all evidence pointed to an easy night, Cassandra stayed focused on her task. Even when the moon, hanging low in the sky, washed the beach in a soft glow that most people would be sighing over. 

Even when this was one of the few peaceful times either of them had seen in days, and he could see the way a lack of sleep clung to her face and shoulders.

"So what about mine?"

"Hmm?"

"My nickname. Seeker. It’s just… my title. Most people call me Seeker."

"Would you have preferred something more personal? Like stabby?"

Cassandra huffed. “Because you don’t mention that enough as is.”

"Okay, okay," Varric held his hands up in an east surrender. "I won’t beat that horse any more. But it hurts, Seeker. You can’t just stab a man in the book and expect him to get over it." She looked over at him, and Varric thought he could see her roll her eyes, but a smile still tugged at her face.

"Anyway," Varric continued, "I’m not sure exactly why you’re Seeker. But it fits, doesn’t it?"

"Perhaps. I am not the expert though."

"Well then, trust my instincts. You’re,"

He caught the word just before it came out, holding his breath for a quiet second, then letting it out in a slow, silent relief.

"You’re a Seeker, through and through."

And he thought, “my,” again, watching her, and realized he’d have to be more careful with his words. The things that slipped out around her, that she dragged out of him.

Oh, words were dangerous alright.

"And what about when I am appointed to the Sunburst Throne? Will I still be Seeker then? Or Divine?"

Varric ran his fingers through his hair, doing his best to hold in the sigh he felt building in his lungs.

"Still Seeker, of course. Let the nobility call you Divine. You can’t change my nicknames that easily."

"I never said I wanted to," Cassandra finally said, her voice quieter than it had been before. "Besides, it is nice to know that at least someone won’t be putting on airs around me once I am named Divine." She sighed. "I suppose I can always count on you to pester me."

"Me? Pester? Perish the thought."

Cassandra shook her head. “One day, Varric, I will get a straight answer out of you.”

Varric laughed softly. “Don’t count on it, Seeker.”

He watched her of the corner of his eye, the way the moonlight framed her face, the set of her jaw, the tension in her back. He was good at making her smile, but some things ran deeper than that.

"Don’t count on it."


End file.
